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LECTURES 

M 

DELIVERED BEFORE THE 

MERCANTILE LIBRARY 

ASSOCIATION, 

CLINTON-HALL. 


AMERICAN CRITICISM ON AMERICAN LITERATURE: 


EDWARD S. GOULD, ESQ., 
December 29, 1835. 


THE BENEFITS AND INFLUENCES OF COMMERCE: 

BY 

JOHN H. GOURLIE, ESQ., 

♦ 

January 5, 1836. 



NEW-YORK: 


PRINTED FOR THE MERCANTILE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. 


1836. 








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Extract from the Minutes of the Mercantile Library Association % 
January 9, 1836. 

Resolved —That the thanks of the Mercantile Library Association be 
tendered to Edward S. Gould and John H. Gourlie, for the very able 
and instructive Lectures delivered by them before its members and friends; 
and that the Secretary be directed to request their permission to publish 
those Lectures, as an additional gratification to that we already experience 
at being enabled to claim them as members of our Association. 


New-York, Jan. 21, 1836. 

Sir, 

I am much gratified with the approbation of my Lecture, expressed 
by the Board of Directors of the Mercantile Library Association. 

The publication of this Lecture was not originally contemplated or in¬ 
tended. 1 was, and am, aware that its tenor and strictures must neces¬ 
sarily give offence to some, and probably induce personal replies; for I 
have lived long enough to know, that nothing in criticism is so offensive to 
the parties interested—as truth. I was, however, by the solicitation of my 
particular friend, the Editor of the Literary and Theological Review, in¬ 
duced to consent to his publishing the Lecture in his March number; and 
since the question of publicity is thus decided, I can of course have no 
hesitation in complying with the request of your Directors. 

You will oblige me by expressing to them the pleasure and the pride I 
feel in acknowledging the compliment they have accorded to me; and I 
beg that they will receive assurances of my personal regard, together with 
my best wishes for the prosperity of the flourishing institution now under 
their charge. 

I am, sir, yours truly, 

EDWARD S. GOULD. 

To the Secretary of the M. L. Association. 


New-York, Jan. 26, 1836. 

Sir, 

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communica¬ 
tion, requesting a copy of my Lecture delivered before the members of the 
Mercantile Library Association for publication, and also a copy of the Re¬ 
solutions passed by the Board of Directors in reference to the same. 

I feel myself flattered by this evidence of their approbation, and shall 
take the earliest opportunity of preparing a copy of my Lecture to be at 
their disposal. 

I beg leave to present, through, you my best wishes for their individual 
happiness and the prosperity of their most excellent institution. 

Your obedient servant, 

JOHN H. GOURLIE. 

To the Secretary of the M. L. Association. 






t 


LECTURE I. 


BY EDWARD S. GOULD. 

AMERICAN CRITICISM 

ON 

AMERICAN LITERATURE. 


The title of “ American Criticism on American Litera¬ 
ture” has been chosen for the following remarks, because it 
is more concise than any other that suggested itself: but, to 
ensure a distinct understanding, at the commencement, of 
what is proposed, it may be well to explain, that the term 
“ American Literature,” in this instance, refers exclusively 
to that part of our Polite Literature generally designated as 
“ fictitious writings and that the criticisms on the various 
works of that character, as they appear in our daily and 
weekly papers, monthly magazines, and quarterly reviews, 
will be the principal subject of discussion. 

The Polite Literature of America has thus far been pro¬ 
lific beyond all precedent in other countries—beyond all ex¬ 
pectation in our own. Within the short period of fifty years, 
it has increased, from a few straggling volumes, to the full 
compass of a National Library. It already embraces works 
in every department of letters, and has attained an excel¬ 
lence and a celebrity which no other people, of age and ad¬ 
vantages similar to our own, have equalled. Here, as in 
every chapter of our country’s history, may be read the proof 

2 



6 


AMERICAN CRITICISM 


of our unparalleled national growth; and perhaps this is the 
only instance in which there is reason to fear that our pro¬ 
gress is too rapid, and our growth unsound. 

It is true that, in many departments of abstract science, 
as well as in Theology, in Law, in Medicine and Surgery, 
in Oratory, and in the Mechanical Arts, we have attained a 
degree of excellence that, probably, is not surpassed by any 
people under the sun. But in Polite Literature, our Ameri¬ 
can writers have much to accomplish ere they can stand side 
by side with the gifted authors of older climes, who draw 
their first breath in the very groves of the Academy, and 
inhale inspiration with every breeze that sweeps over the 
tombs of the immortal dead. I would not, however, by such 
an allusion, detract one iota from the actual merits of our 
own writers ; nor imply, that the distance between our na¬ 
tional literature and that of other countries is impassable. 
I would, rather, exult in the belief that our writers have al¬ 
ready won laurels of enduring freshness and beauty; that, 
whatever may be our comparative deficiencies, our career 
in Polite Literature is, now, no more an experiment than the 
principles and power of the Constitution which cements our 
Union together; and, that our literary immortality is now no 
more a matter of contingency, than the question whether our 
country is rapidly advancing to the highest pitch of national 
grandeur. 

In fact, our having attained excellence in both Literature 
and the Fine Arts, is not, and cannot be a subject of doubt; 
but an inquiry must necessarily arise as to the degree of that 
excellence, and the answer involves high interests, and re¬ 
quires great consideration. 

To a certain extent, our improvement in those depart¬ 
ments may have kept pace with our national prosperity; 
but there is a point where (for various reasons) mental acqui¬ 
sition ceases to proceed with the same rapidity as mere 
physical growth—and at that point we have some time since 


ON AMERICAN LITERATURE. 


7 


arrived. For while our country has advanced far toward 
the summit of physical eminence and power, she is yet, as 
regards Literature and the Arts, far below the highest at¬ 
tainable elevation of fame. A mere reference to names will 
sustain this assertion. We have sculptors, painters, novel¬ 
ists, and poets; but we have not a Canova, a Raphael, a 
Scott, or a Siiakspeare. Nay, we not only have them 
not, but the incidental repetition of their very names seems 
to send a chill of discouragement and despair through the 
mind, even when excited by its wildest hopes and boldest 
imaginings. 

But, although such discouragement is the natural conse¬ 
quence of a first impression, it has no foundation in reason. 
The repetition of the names of “the mighty dead” ought to 
inspire ambition, rather than produce despondency. Emu¬ 
lation is the appropriate result of musing over the monu¬ 
ments of by-gone greatness : but if we can call up the recol¬ 
lection of what has been, only to be alarmed and intimidated 
at the grandeur of the apparition, we had much better forget 
that “ such things were.” There are, in truth, neither moral 
nor physical causes to prevent, though, unhappily, there may 
be some to delay , our attaining that degree of eminence in 
Literature and the Arts which other and older nations enjoy; 
and a consideration of the causes of such delay, so far as they 
are identified with the character of our National Criticism, is 
the chief object of the present remarks. 

It may be stated, in general terms, that the prominent 
obstacles to our more rapid advancement in letters are— 

An unfortunate propensity, on the part of the public, to 
admire indiscriminately, and with little qualification, every 
thing American; and 

The want of an effective and independent censorship in 
the department of our Literary Reviews. 

It is possible that, in times past, Americans deferred too 
much to the literature of the mother country. It may be 


8 


AMERICAN CRITICISM 


true, that we once dared not admire a book of domestic ori¬ 
gin, until an imported opinion favourably preceded its intro¬ 
duction to its native country. It may , even, be true, (and it 
may also be doubted,) that the boisterous and arrogant de¬ 
nunciation of all deference to foreign talents and opinions, 
which has recently been trumpeted among us by parties per¬ 
sonally interested, was in some measure called for and de¬ 
served. But that day has gone by—American writers are 
just now in no danger of neglect, or of wasting their sweet¬ 
ness on the desert air. They have no longer to contend 
with the apathy or incredulity of their countrymen, as touch¬ 
ing their fame and their ability: they have only to scribble 
over a given number of quires, and their reputation is estab¬ 
lished. The public have fallen into that comfortable posi¬ 
tion assigned to them by Sheridan ; they “ do not undergo 
the fatigue of judging for themselves.” They have an opin¬ 
ion, certainly; and it is of sufficient potency to decide the 
fate of a whole generation of authors : but, under the exist¬ 
ing circumstances, it is most unfortunate that this opinion is 
originated and controlled by our Literary Reviews. 

If these Reviews could happen to be strictly intelligent, dis¬ 
criminating, and impartial, our present subjection to them were 
the most propitious infliction that we could possibly sustain; 
for human taste is too incorrigibly lawless, to be governed 
on republican principles. If it be true, in political science, 
that many communities are either too fickle, or too depraved 
to enjoy rational liberty, without abusing it, and they there¬ 
fore must be ruled with a rod of iron; equally true is it that 
the public taste, in all communities, is too erratic to be 
trusted in any other guardianship, than the stern despotism 
of a literary tribunal. And the moment that such a tribunal 
is founded, and directed on the principles of truth and impar¬ 
tiality, the desideratum , in that department, is realized. 

Should this be deemed an undeserved reproach on the 
public taste, an example from past days is at hand, which 


ON AMERICAN LITERATURE. 


9 


fully justifies it. The ever memorable Della Cruscan 
mania, in the time of William Gifford, is a striking instance 
of the extravagance and folly into which the public taste, in 
an enlightened community, may degenerate, when that taste 
comes under the detestable influence of Fashion , and is un¬ 
checked by the Spartan firmness and valour of sound criti¬ 
cism. We can also learn from that astounding precedent 
the danger of license to authors, as well as of forbearance on 
the part of their legitimate monitors: and we should do well 
to remember, that although the same tolerance on the part of 
the public, and the same apathy and neglect on the part of 
the Reviewers, will always tend to the same disastrous 
results ; there may not always be found a Gifford to correct 
them. 

Whether we are to have a Della Cruscan age of our own, 
it is not easy to say; but it is certain that we shall not escape 
such disgrace through the present exertions of our Critics. 
The encroachment of false taste is, apparently, the least of 
their concern; and the success of any innovation, however 
monstrous, would seem to be a matter in which they take no 
interest. At least, it is true that, as a body, they evince no 
interest in the welfare of our Literature, by expending time 
or talent in its revision. Their criticisms are, for the most 
part, superficial in every particular. They very seldom de¬ 
scend to the analysis of merit and demerit, in detail. They 
give no reasons why this is pronounced excellent; or that, 
execrable. They deal chiefly in general terms, and hyper¬ 
bole ; seize some one prominent feature, and make that the 
criterion for their verdict; and, by means of extracts, fill up 
a large space with the sentiments of the author, which should 
be occupied by their own.* 

* It may be added to this enumeration of the qualities of contemporary crit¬ 
ics, that some of them display a brilliancy, an acuteness, and an originality 
worthy of all praise, in metaphorical comparison: a style of puffing, which is 
more brief, yet more comprehensive, than any other. After all epithets fail, the 
author under review is summarily dubbed the American Hemans, the American 


10 


AMERICAN CRITICISM 


It is, at first sight, inexplicable, that they who, by tacit 
consent, occupy the post of guardians of the public taste, and 
the welfare of Literature, should so far neglect their high 
trust, and betray the confidence reposed in them ; but some 
of the causes of their delinquency may easily be explained. 

I. In the first place, whoever writes or publishes a book, 
sends copies, with his compliments , to the several editors. 
This, in many cases, puts an end to fault-finding, at least; 
and, as a general rule, the editor must, in common courtesy, 
either give a favourable notice, or announce the title of the 
book in capitals, state who has it for sale, and add, that “ want 
of room” excludes any remarks for to-day, or, for this num¬ 
ber. This sort of practical bribery was harmless enough, 
when it was confined to some new invention in mechanical 
art; a basket of gooseberries, or a mammoth-turnip. If an 
editor received something of this kind, and chose to pay for 
it in compliments, it was “ a fair business transaction,” and 
no one was essentially injured or deceived by it. But when, 
in accordance to the same plan, the works of genius and 
imagination are substituted for the products of vegetable 
growth, or mechanical ingenuity, and the compliments they 
elicit go forth to the world as disinterested opinions, and are 
suffered to ingraft corruption on the public taste, the merits 
of the custom are changed, and its evils are painfully ap¬ 
parent. 

II. In the second place, it is no uncommon thing for an 
author or publisher to employ a literary friend to prepare an 
assortment of impartial and discriminating articles on a new 
book. These, some editors will always publish, because 
they are unwilling to disoblige the applicant; or because 
they are thus saved the trouble of writing themselves; or 
because they take no interest in the matter whatever. Never- 

Goldsmith, the American Addison , &c. When we come to be possessed of an 
American Milton, and an American Shakspeare, (events not far distant, if 
analogy proves any thing,) we shall probably cease to make progress in literary 
excellence, from sheer lack of competition l 


ON AMERICAN LITERATURE. 


11 


theless, as such articles go abroad with the editor’s sanc¬ 
tion, they carry with them his influence in favour of a parti¬ 
cular book ; although they were written under the eye, and 
perhaps at the dictation, of the author they applaud! It is 
needless to add, that such reviews give to the world a very 
correct notion of the merits of a book. 

III. A third cause—and one which has influence with 
some of the few Critics who really seem to feel interested in 
the prosperity of our National Literature—is to be found in a 
sincere disposition to encourage the growth of native genius; 
combined with a fear of checking that growth by what they 
call premature , but what would be, in fact, deserved , severity. 
That is to say, a Critic will praise a book highly, which he well 
knows is unworthy of such praise, in order to encourage its 
writer. This is an instance of the best of motives, accom¬ 
panied by the worst of judgment. No permanent benefit can 
accrue to Literature, nor to any thing else, by means of a 
system of deception, and which has no better plea than expe¬ 
diency. That which cannot be supported by truth, cannot 
long be sustained by any means whatever. But, apart from 
that moral vacillation which suppresses truth, for the purpose 
of encouragement to native genius, the plan is absurd on 
philosophical principles. The praise bestowed, indiscrimi¬ 
nately, on writers of great merit, and little merit, and no merit, 
with a view to encourage whatever of genius exists in the 
mass ; fails entirely in its object, and ceases to be encourage¬ 
ment, from the very fact of its being general. If the design 
were to encourage blockheads, the plan is well devised; but 
genius is usually too selfish and too jealous to relish a parti¬ 
tion of its exclusive rights; and is disgusted, not encouraged, 
by being placed on a par with the multitude. The school 
master, who flogged all around the class, to ensure the pun¬ 
ishment of one whom he could not individually detect; dis¬ 
played the same sagacity as the critic who praises all to the 
very extent of his power, lest some one deserving of praise 


12 


AMERICAN CRITICISM 


should happen to be omitted. In either case, the moral effect 
of the reward is entirely lost. 

IV. Another cause is an apprehension, on the part of 
many Editors, that the public will not sustain them in se¬ 
vere criticism on American productions. This is an erro¬ 
neous view of the case, in every sense. In the first place, it 
is the province and the duty of a critic, to direct the public 
taste, and not to be governed by it: and if he has talent and 
honesty, he can accomplish this duty ; and if he has not tal¬ 
ent and honesty, he has mistaken his vocation. In the 
second place, it is absurd to imagine that what has never yet 
occurred in the literary history of any other country, is likely 
now to occur in this. And in the third place, it will be early 
enough for editors to plead this excuse, when, by experi¬ 
ence, they have proved its validity. Besides, where is our 
boasted freedom of discussion and liberty of the press, if, 
even on literary questions, the opinions of an editor are to 
be overawed by the denunciation of his subscribers ? To 
avoid misapprehension, however, it may be well to say, that 
severity, as an abstract quality, is of no benefit to Criticism : 
if not deserved, or not applied with discrimination, it is just 
as false and contemptible as the opposite extreme. In the 
practice of unwarranted severity, an Editor may very pro¬ 
perly fear that the public will not sustain him. 

Y. Again, it is not always agreeable to the private 
feelings of Editors or Critics, to speak freely of the faults of a 
living writer, whom they often meet personally, and per¬ 
haps personally respect: and here the ceaseless strain of 
panegyric finds another cause of continuance. The Critic has 
not the independence to advocate the welfare of Literature 
on its own merits; but rather suffers himself to be blind¬ 
ed to the truth that his social and professional duties are 
entirely distinct from each other ; and that the author and the 
man, in a literary point of view, are by no means identical. 
It must be acknowledged, that the duty, in the case sup- 


ON AMERICAN LITERATURE. 


13 


posed, is perplexing and painful—and so it may be painful 
to a judge, when he is required to pass sentence on a crimi¬ 
nal, who was his friend; but, nevertheless, whoever takes 
upon himself the office of criticism, takes upon himself, at 
the same time, certain duties and obligations which he can¬ 
not honourably or honestly disregard : and it is too late for 
him to be governed by his feelings, after those duties are 
once fully assumed. If Critics are to be influenced by per¬ 
sonal considerations, either for or against the authors they 
review, then Criticism is all a farce, and had better be abol- 
lished by acclamation. 

VI. Another cause is, that happy coincidence of interests, 
which induces many of our popular novelists and poets to 
become contributors to sundry of the papers and magazines. 
It certainly is right and proper that these writers should la¬ 
bour to elevate the character of our Periodical Literature ; 
and it certainly would be wrong and highly improper for 
the editors of such periodicals to speak ill of their best friends. 
Besides, there is great advantage to be gained by rearing 
a man’s monument, as well as in writing his biography, 
while he yet breathes. He is thereby enabled to judge of his 
own epitaph; and reward the sculptor for registering qualities, 
the existence of which might otherwise never have been 
suspected —and which , when recorded, slumber as coldly in 
the soul as on the marble. 

VII. The last cause that will now be considered, is to 
be found in the fact, that the production of sound and genu¬ 
ine Criticism, like that of genuine poetry, or any other kind 
of writing in its purity, requires much more labour, much more 
study, and much more talent—than that of its spurious sub¬ 
stitute. And assuming (what is clearly proved by results) 
that the majority of our Critics regard their labour as drudg¬ 
ery, and its accomplishment as their chief object; assuming 
that they have no higher interest in their professional duties, 
than a desire to get through with them, regardless of the ten- 

3 


14 


AMERICAN CRITICISM 


dency or effect of the performance ; it is obvious that their in¬ 
ducements to write at all are very slight, and are all on the 
side of errour and corruption—and it is not strange that 
their Criticisms are tainted with both. 

As a general rule, (for there are honourable exceptions,) 
they whose business it is to do Criticism, seem really not to 
be aware of the dignity and importance of their vocation, 
nor of the capabilities of the style of writing belonging to it. 
And instead of considering what they owe to the public ; or 
the value of their services, (when properly rendered,) both to 
the public, and to the cause of Literature, they are glad of 
an opportunity to shuffle off their task on literary friends, 
who may, or not, be qualified to perform it. They seem, 
indeed, to entertain the opinion that the greater part of what 
is called Criticism, may be as well despatched by apprentices, 
as by master workmen; and that a man requires no more 
brains to write a suitable Review, than an intelligible adver¬ 
tisement, of a literary work. But, whatever these Critics 
may think, or seem to think, it is still incontrovertibly true, 
that Criticism is itself a high department of Literature, and 
capable of displaying a degree of intellectual power equal 
to almost any kind of writing whatever. Johnson’s Re¬ 
view of Milton may, perhaps, be cited as a proof of the 
perfection to which Criticism may attain, and of the talent 
it may embody. It is an illustrious specimen of impartial 
analysis both of the defects and the beauties of an author ; 
and it transmits to the reader in distant ages the privilege 
of studying that great master of verse with the comprehen¬ 
sive intelligence and the disciplined judgment of Johnson’s 
gigantic mind. On the other hand, Gifford’s Bamad and 
McEviad will ever endure as terrible examples of the Criti¬ 
cism which unmasks folly, and consigns its authors to an 
immortality of shame. And, if our Critics would condescend 
to study and meditate on these noble specimens of the art, 
they would, by the mere force of example, be compelled to 


ON AMERICAN LITERATURE. 


15 


adopt a tone of sentiments and language worthy of Ameri¬ 
can Reviewers. 

The causes to which I have imputed the delinquency of 
the majority of American Critics, and the present character 
of their Reviews, have now been sufficiently explained to 
show, that, at least, those Reviews are written under very 
unfavourable influences; and it is no great extent of pre¬ 
sumption to say, that while they continue to be thus written, 
their being utterly and universally in errour, is almost a 
matter of course. 

It is now time to turn from causes to effects, and examine 
a little more closely into the characteristics of American 
Criticism, as it is. And, as an auxiliary to the research, it 
will be useful to read the following extract from Paul 
Clifford. 

“ 4 Criticism is a great science—a very great science ! 
It may be divided into three branches, viz. to tickle , to 
slash , and to plaster. In each of these three, I believe, with¬ 
out vanity, I am a profound adept! I will initiate you into 
all. Your labours shall begin this very evening. I have 
three works on my table, which must be despatched by to¬ 
morrow night. I will take the most arduous, and aban¬ 
don to you the others. The three consist of a Romance? 
an Epic, in twelve books, and an Inquiry into the Human 
Mind, in three volumes. I will tickle the Romance; and 
you, Paul, shall, this very evening, plaster the Epic, and slash 
the Inquiry!’ 

“ 4 Heavens, Mr. Mac Grawler!’ cried Paul, in great 
consternation, 4 what do you mean ? I should not be able to 
read an Epic in twelve books ; and I should fall asleep over 
the first page of the Inquiry. I pray you, sir, leave me the 
Romance, and take the others under your own protection/ 

44 4 No, young gentleman !’ said the critic, solemnly: 4 the 
Romance must be tickled ; and it is not given to raw begin¬ 
ners, to conquer that great mystery of our Science/ 


16 


AMERICAN CRITICISM 


“ * Before we proceed further/ replied Paul , 1 explain the 
three branches of this Science/ 

“ ‘ Listen, then !’ rejoined Mac Grawler. ‘ To slash , is, 
speaking grammatically, to employ the accusative, or ac¬ 
cusing case; you must cut up your book right and left, top 
and bottom, root and branch. To plaster , is to employ the 
dative, or giving case; and you must bestow on the work 
all the superlatives in the language. You must lay on your 
praise thick and thin, and not leave a crevice untroweled. 
But to tickle , sir, is a comprehensive business ! It comprises 
all the infinite varieties that fill the interval between slashing 
and plastering . This is the nicety of the art, and you can 
acquire it only by practice. A few examples will suffice to 
give you an idea of its delicacy. 

‘ We will begin with the encouraging tickle. 

‘ Although this work is full of faults, though the characters 
are unnatural, the plot utterly improbable, the thoughts hack- 
nied, and the style ungrammatical, yet we would, by no 
means, discourage the author from proceeding; and in the 
meanwhile, we confidently recommend his work to the at - 
tention of the reading public. 

* Take, now, the advising tickle. 

‘ There is a good deal of merit in these little volumes, 
although we must regret the evident haste with which they 
were written. The author might do better. We recommend 
to him a study of the best writers: —then conclude by a 
Latin quotation, which you may take from one of the mottos 
in the Spectator. 

* There is a great variety of other tickles: the familiar; 
the vulgar; the polite; the good-natured; the bitter; but, 
in general, all tickles are meant to mean one or the other 
of these things, viz. This book would be exceedingly good , 
if it were not exceedingly bad: or, This book would be ex¬ 
ceedingly bad, if it were not exceedingly good. 

‘ There is another grand difficulty attendant on this class 


ON AMERICAN LITERATURE. 


17 


of Criticism ;—it is generally requisite to read a few pages of 
the work before you begin, because we seldom tickle, with¬ 
out giving extracts ; and it requires some judgment to make 
the extracts and context agree. But when you slash or 
plaster, you need neither read, nor extract. When you 
slash , it is better, in general, to conclude with this: 

‘ After what we have said , it is unnecessary to add, that 
we cannot offend the taste of our readers, by any quotations 
from this execrable trash. 

‘ And when you plaster , wind up with saying, 

‘ We regret that our limits will not allow us to give any 
extract, from this wonderful and unrivalled work: we must 
refer our readers to the book itself 9 ” 

The satire of this sketch is so broad, that it really seems 
like caricature; yet the drawing is much nearer to life 
than our critics will be likely to acknowledge. It may be, 
indeed, that they do not avow their principles as ingenuously 
as Peter Mac Grawler; but they are equally obnoxious to 
the charge of giving currency to false doctrine in Literature, 
and of misleading those who rely on their published opinions. 

If this accusation be deemed unfair, or ill-founded, the 
obvious inference from the following fact will fully sustain it. 

Throughout the entire range of the current Re¬ 
views of American Books, nine out of ten are highly 
commendatory Reviews. They are made up, in general, 
of that unqualified and indiscriminate praise which Mac 
Grawler denominates plastering ; they are occasionally va¬ 
ried by the various modes of tickling; they are very seldom 
interrupted by the process of slashing; and never, unless as 
exceptions to the general rule, do they contain the elements 
of sound and impartial criticism. It does, indeed, sometimes 
happen that, in the course of a review, trifling faults are de¬ 
signated ; but it is obvious that this is done, either for a show 
of impartiality, or to set the praise in bolder relief; for the 
faults, thus specified, are usually explained away and apo¬ 
logized for before the article is concluded. 


18 


AMERICAN CRITICISM 


Now is it to be supposed, on any rational principle of 
estimation, that among the never-ending scores of American 
writers, at the present day, nine out of ten do really deserve 
the embalming of periodical and unqualified praise ? Is it to 
be believed, that nine out of ten do really merit a niche in 
our (future) Pantheon ? or, do really win a literary immor¬ 
tality? If they do deserve such boundless commendation 
and reward, then, verily, the age we live in is as far before 
the Augustan ages of Great Britain and of Rome, as they 
were in advance of the barbarism of primitive Rome, and 
the darkness of feudal Europe. But, that our Literature is not 
thus in advance of the civilized world, and, therefore, that 
the Criticism which (practically) assigns such a position to it 
is unsound and deceptive, I shall now attempt to prove by 
the argument embraced in the following syllogism. 

I. The most distinguished writers of Great Britain, in the 
present age, are essentially superior to the most distinguished 
writers of America. 

II. The most distinguished writers of Great Britain have 
never received from the British Critics a greater amount of 
unqualified praise, and high panegyric , than the most distin¬ 
guished writers of America have received from the American 
Critics. 

III. It follows, then, either that the British Critics praise 
their writers far too little ; or, that the American Critics praise 
their writers far too much. 

Taking these three propositions in their order, it must first 
be shown, that the most distinguished writers of Great Bri¬ 
tain are essentially superior to the most distinguished writers 
of America. 

It will be obvious to all, that the only way of approach¬ 
ing this point is through the medium of individual compari¬ 
son : and as such comparison is called for by the very nature 
of the argument, I trust that the unpopular experiment of 
attaching a lower estimate to American authors than our 
own Critics are wont to do, will at least escape the imputa- 


ON AMERICAN LITERATURE. 


19 


tion of unworthy motives. I would say, further, that as this 
whole discussion is on the subject of American Criticism, and 
not (unless incidentally) of American Literature, it would be 
equally intrusive and tedious to attempt here an analysis of 
the individual merit of foreign and native writers: the ut¬ 
most that the case requires, or of which it admits, is a pass¬ 
ing remark on each of those who will now be designated— 
without intentional injustice to any one omitted—as the most 
eminent contemporary writers in the two countries respec¬ 
tively. 

Great Britain, then, has produced Scott, Bulwer, James, 
Marryatt, D’Israeli :—Byron, Campbell, Montgomery, 
Wordsworth, Coleridge :—Hannah More, Mrs. Sher¬ 
wood, Miss Edgeworth, Joanna Bailey, and Mrs. He- 
mans. 

And, to vie with this brilliant galaxy, we have Irving, 
Cooper, Paulding, Brown, Bird, Simms, Kennedy :— 
Dana, Drake, IIalleck, Bryant, Percival, Pinkney :— 
Miss Sedgwick, and Miss II. F. Gould.* 

Is it possible for a community, entertaining impartial 
opinions, to concur in the belief that these American wri¬ 
ters possess ability and talents equal to their distinguished 
contemporaries across the Atlantic? An opinion founded 
on the principle of considerations and allowances—an opinion 
influenced by the comparative age and opportunities of the 
two countries, is not the opinion challenged, or that under 
discussion. The tone of our Reviews is unqualified by any 
proviso; their tone is absolute, and without any reserve for 
a deficiency of advantages on our part: and therefore this 
investigation and comparison, having been called forth by 
the tone and character of those Reviews, must be pursued, 
also, without qualification. In this sense, the question is 

* The coincidence of names might lead some to suppose that the writer is 
here evincing the partiality of relationship, and this note is introduced merely to 
disprove such a supposition. Miss Gould’s acknowledged talents are the only, 
and the sufficient reason for her being placed among our eminent authors. 


20 


AMERICAN CRITICISM 


proposed and repeated, Do our American writers possess 
ability and talents equal to their distinguished contempora¬ 
ries across the Atlantic? 

The question is asked in a spirit of fairness, and with no 
shadow of intention to disparage the brilliancy of that talent, 
which we are all proud to call American. The question is 
asked argumentatively, and dispassionately; and with no 
other object than properly to follow out the investigation, 
and ascertain whether we, as a people, do over-estimate 
the talents we possess; and, by such over-estimate, deceive 
ourselves, and mislead those gifted ones among us, who have 
already won, for themselves, and for their country, imper¬ 
ishable renown. Let us render to them all the homage they 
have deserved: but let us, also, make that desert the strict 
rule and measure of that homage. 

Walter Scott, by universal consent—I say universal, 
for in my life I have heard but two dissenting voices— Wal¬ 
ter Scott, by universal consent is the monarch and master 
of modern fiction. It is true, the monstrous assumption has 
been in two instances circulated among us, that he who is 
called the American Walter Scott, is the full-grown rival— 
the successful competitor—the equal, at least, of his illus¬ 
trious prototype !! But as that assumption has been patron¬ 
ized by a distressingly minute minority of Americans—and 
Americans, certainly, are most interested in according to 
Cooper all the honour he really deserves—it is manifest 
that the comparison, thus far, is immensely in favour of 
Great Britain. 

Bulwer, as a novelist, must be ranked next to Scott, in 
the scale of intellectual power; and although his genius has 
been perverted by his immorality, his works must endure 
for centuries yet to come. Genius is of itself, and necessa¬ 
rily, immortal. Its fires will irradiate, and its spirit will 
embalm the musings and the fame of its possessor: but, in 
the words of his own beautiful simile, the fame of Bulwer 


ON AMERICAN LITERATURE. 


21 


will fling its brightness down the long vista of ages, partly 
by reason of the errours and imperfections of the character 
whence it emanates.* 

The second American novelist is Paulding, and he is 
extensively and deservedly honoured as such. His fame, 
like Cooper’s, is widely spread; and his talents, like Coop¬ 
er’s, are universally admired: but the placing of his genius 
and ability on a level with Bulwer’s, is what was probably 
never yet attempted, nor regarded as among possibilities. 

The writings of James, Marryat, and D’Israeli, have 
gained universal, though various, popularity. Any one of the 
three authors has sufficient talent to confer lasting distinction 
on the land of his birth; and, in the absence of still greater 
lights, would brilliantly illuminate the literary firmament. 

On the other hand, great praise must, and assuredly will? 
be awarded to Brown, Bird, Simms, and Kennedy ; but the 
comparison, nevertheless, cannot result to their advantage. 

In poetry, we have Dana, Drake, Halleck, Bryant 
Percival, Pinkney, and Miss H. F. Gould. Proud names 
they are; and some of them, perhaps, immortalized in 
Song. Yet, what a contrast must we all acknowledge 
when we turn to Byron, Scott, Campbell, Montgomery, 
Wordsworth, Coleridge, Joanna Bailey, and Mrs. He- 
mans ! 

Great Britain has produced Hannah More, Mrs. Sher¬ 
wood, and Miss Edgeworth : a combination of female 
genius and greatness, such as the world never before saw. 
Their writings have done more to elevate the female 
character—to ennoble the cause of Letters—and to give an 

* “There is one circumstance that should diminish our respect for renown. 
Errours of life, as well as foibles of character, are often the real enhancers of ce¬ 
lebrity. Without his errours, 1 doubt whether Henri Quatre would have be¬ 
come the idol of a people. How many Whartons has the world known, who, 
deprived of their frailties, had been inglorious! The light that you so admire, 
reaches you through the distance of time, only on account of the angles and un¬ 
evenness of the body whence it emanates. Were the surface of the moon 
smooth, it would be invisible.”—E ugene Aram. 

4 


22 


AMERICAN CRITICISM 


undying reputation to the land of their nativity, than the 
combined literary works of all the other females to whom 
Great Britain has given birth. 

To attempt a comparison between these remarkable 
women, and the authoress of Hope Leslie, would be mu¬ 
tual injustice. We take pride in the renown which Hope 
Leslie has secured to our countrywoman; and the more 
especially, because its writer is the only daughter which Fame 
has vouchsafed to our family compact of novelists. But we 
should value the reputation she has acquired too highly to 
contrast it with the pre-eminent brilliancy which irradiates the 
names of More, Sherwood, and Edgeworth. 

One writer we have, who is unrivalled on his own pecu¬ 
liar field of enduring renown. The richness of his invention, 
the purity of his language, and the singular versatility of his 
genius, have conspired to render him emphatically the favour¬ 
ite of his countrymen. And while we have exulted in the 
production, England has well prided herself on the tem¬ 
porary adoption, of Washington Irving. 

Here, then, let the comparison cease; and what is its 
result ? There is neither presumption nor risk of contra¬ 
diction in asserting, that its result is the establishing of the 
first proposition:—that, The most distinguished writers of 
Great Britain , are essentially superior to the most distin¬ 
guished writers of America. 

The second proposition of the argument, and that 
next to be considered, is this : The most distinguished writers 
of Great Britain have never received from the British Critics 
a greater amount of unqualified praise , and high panegyric , 
than the most distinguished writers of America have received 
from the American Critics. 

The proof of this proposition is the simplest imaginable. 
The dictionary, the arithmetic, and the American Reviews, 
furnish all the requisite testimony. The dictionary contains 


ON AMERICAN LITERATURE. 


23 


“ all the superlatives in the languagethe arithmetic shows 
the greatest number of combinations of which they are ca¬ 
pable; and the Reviews give the sum total. Now, as 
the sum total is exactly the whole of these superlatives, and 
as the British Critics cannot well appropriate to British writers 
any more than the whole, it follows inevitably, that— The 
most distinguished writers of Great Britain have never 
received from the British Critics a greater amount of un¬ 
qualified praise , and high panegyric , than the most distin¬ 
guished writers of America have received from the Ameri¬ 
can Critics. 

Agreeably to the rules of argument, the question of fact 
is now reduced to the single contingency embraced in the 
third proposition: viz. The American Critics praise too 
much , unless the British Critics praise too little. This con¬ 
tingency, however, does not need consideration. The pro¬ 
position was originally stated, merely to comply with the 
logical form of argument, and not because it admitted of 
question, or required proof. That the British Critics do un¬ 
derrate British talent, in the aggregate, is a position that 
could never be seriously assumed by any one, and it would 
therefore be idle to argue against it. 

I trust that it will not be deemed presumptuous, if I here 
take leave of the argument, in the belief that these two posi¬ 
tions are sufficiently established ; viz. 

The ordinary tone of American Criticism is very high 
panegyric; and, 

Very high panegyric , as applied indiscriminately to 
American Literature , is quite beyond the intrinsic merits of 
its object. 

It will not, however, be forgotten, that all that has been 
said of the merits of American writers, is either in the way 
of comparison, or in reply to the extravagance of Ameri¬ 
can Critics. It is, and it ever will be a matter of astonish- 


24 


AMERICAN CRITICISM 


ment, that a people so young; so comparatively limited in 
opportunities of cultivating polite literature; so recent¬ 
ly emerging from the chaos of a Revolution, and so wholly 
absorbed in modelling and adorning the civil institutions 
which that Revolution disenthralled—it is, indeed, a matter 
of unqualified wonder, that, despite such adverse circumstan¬ 
ces, such a people should have produced a race of men, 
willing to contend, and capable of contending for the undy¬ 
ing honours of Literary fame. Their unprecedented success 
is their best eulogium, and their highest reward. And now, 
if they can escape the dangerous influences of flattery on 
the one hand, and of vanity on the other ; if, unlike ordi¬ 
nary men, they are not ruined by the various contingencies 
of prosperity, we shall have little cause for solicitude about 
their future career. 

Unfortunately, “ men are but men,” and reason and ex¬ 
perience show, at least with regard to our novelists, the 
evils both of the flattery and of the vanity induced by it. For 
there are instances in our literary annals of an author’s re¬ 
ceiving universal and extravagant praise, and being so far 
spoiled by it, as never to have written so well afterward. 
And this is one of the legitimate and the necessary results 
of what some Critics call encouragement to native genius. 
And another result is scarcely less pernicious. The ap¬ 
plause lavished on those who have genius, is attracting the 
attention and the envy of those who have it not . The pro¬ 
cess intended to encourage authors is encouraging them too 
fast; and, unless all precedent fails, our Critics will soon find 
that their hot-beds are producing more weeds than flowers. 
In fact, the dog-star of authorship is already in the ascend¬ 
ant ; books are multiplying like mushrooms; and the mon¬ 
strous opinion is gaining currency, that any body can write 
a good novel. Yes! any body can now accomplish what, 
within ten years, the very loftiest intellect, and the most ex- 


ON AMERICAN LITERATURE. 


25 


nlted genius, have, in particular instances, failed to perform. 
Scott himself has written a poor novel—and so has Bulwer 
—and Edgeworth—and Cooper—and nearly every one who 
has attained enduring eminence, as a novelist, during the last 
forty years. And yet, inasmuch as the Critics will puff, and 
the people will sustain them in puffing, any body is compe¬ 
tent to a task, the magnitude of which really requires a mind 
of some cultivation even to appreciate in the abstract!— 
Where this mania is to lead us, time alone can determine; 
but it is most certain, that unless Criticism soon asserts her 
legitimate prerogative, and brands this contagious folly with 
the shame it deserves, our literary annals will wear a blot 
which neither time nor change can obliterate. 

Our situation is analogous to that of a people for a time 
enjoying repose under a just and good government; but at 
length aroused from that repose by the encroachments of 
tyranny and the imposition of iniquitous laws. What was 
originally devotion to the country, becomes now slavery 
to the ruler; and duty has changed from submission to re¬ 
sistance. Thus we, for a time, have been content to acknow¬ 
ledge the supremacy of the Critics; and, while they were 
capable and honest, we were wise to do so: but now that 
their decisions are tainted with errour, and reliance on them 
is deception to ourselves, it is incumbent on us to cast off 
our allegiance, and compel them either to abandon their of¬ 
fice, or renounce their heresy. 

The manner of accomplishing this revolution cannot here 
be enlarged upon, but its results may be stated in a moment. 
Our National Literature will be relieved from the baneful in¬ 
fluence of flattery and the artificial ripening of false criticism. 
Its growth will be checked in rapidity, but advanced in 
strength; and it will progress slowly, but surely, to the very 
highest eminence of fame. 


26 


AMERICAN CRITICISM ON AMERICAN LITERATURE. 


“ So the sage oak, to Nature’s mandate true, 

Advanced but slow, and strengthen’d as he grew! 

But when, at length, (full many a season o’er,) 

His head the blossoms of high promise bore; 

When steadfast were his roots, and sound his heart, 
He bade oblivion and decay depart; 

Flung his broad arms o’er those who watch’d his rise, 
His lofty top waved proudly in the skies; 

And, storm and time defying, still remains 
The never-dying glory of the plains 1” 


LECTURE II. 


BY JOHN H. GOURLIE. 

ON THE BENEFITS AND INFLUENCES OF 
COMMERCE. 


This subject was suggested to my mind by these con¬ 
siderations—that it was one intimately connected with 
the pursuits of a very large portion of the inhabitants of our 
city, and that many of my fellow members of this Associa¬ 
tion were engaged in its occupations. The history of com¬ 
merce is interesting not only to those engaged in mercantile 
pursuits, but to all who wish to obtain a correct knowledge 
of the progress of society; for, it exhibits to us a true pic¬ 
ture of the career of man, from a state of barbarism, to a 
state of cultivated civilization and refinement, and the 
means by which his present elevation has been effected. 
The history of commerce is a history of man; of all the 
changes in his condition ; of his progress in the arts; of his 
advancement from the rude simplicity of savage life, with 
but limited means of enjoyment, to his present exalted sta¬ 
tion, surrounded by innumerable comforts, the fruits of his 
industry, sagacity, and social intercourse. The study of 
such a subject is worthy of every mind, and cannot fail to 
impress us with a high sense of the goodness of the Creator, 
in endowing man with the power of increasing his means of 
enjoyment, and of rendering all things subservient to his 
reason. There is no trade or occupation followed by man, 
that is not more or less subservient to the advancement and 
interests of commerce ; and there is no individual mem- 



28 


ON THE BENEFITS AND 


ber of society, no matter how exalted or humble his condi¬ 
tion, who does not in some degree partake of its benefits. 
The labors of the farmer, the manufacturer, and the artisan, 
are as important to the interests of commerce, and contri¬ 
bute as much to its success, as do those of the merchant. 
All alike contribute to its prosperity, and enjoy its advan¬ 
tages. As well might the hand say to the arm, “ I can do 
without thee,” as the merchant to the farmer, the manufac¬ 
turer, or the laborer, “ I can do without thee.” There is 
throughout every branch of industry a beautiful circle of de¬ 
pendencies, the one contributing to the interests of the other, 
and each enjoying a full proportion of the prosperity of the 
whole. If we reflect for a moment on the number of differ¬ 
ent trades and employments necessary for the building of a 
ship, and preparing it for a voyage, we will see at once the 
value of that exchange of benefits which results from differ¬ 
ent pursuits, and the dependence which exists between every 
branch of industry. It is in civilized society only, that this 
dependence to any extent exists; and so important is its 
influence upon the happiness of man, that it could not be 
abolished without being followed by an entire interruption or 
destruction of all social order. The all-wise Creator has 
made man a dependent being, not only on His bounty, but on 
the assistance of his fellow-creatures. Alone, he is helpless 
and insignificant, with but few enjoyments, and those preca¬ 
rious and uncertain. In society, he is active, ingenious, and 
useful, surrounded with innumerable sources of comfort, and 
with the means of increasing his happiness, and exalting his 
condition. Commerce is an exchange of commodities ; and, 
as a branch of industry, grew out of the nature of man, and 
the circumstances under which he is placed. When indivi¬ 
duals ceased to supply themselves directly with the various 
articles and accommodations they made use of, and began 
to obtain them from their neighbors, by exchanging with 
them what they possessed, for what they wanted, then must 


INFLUENCES OF COMMERCE. 


29 


commerce have begun to grow up amongst men; and as 
this state of things existed in the earliest periods of man’s 
history, we must look for the origin of commerce—rude in¬ 
deed as it was—in the history of the remotest ages of the 
world. The wants and desires of man expanded as he pro¬ 
gressed in civilization; and it is to this cause that we must 
attribute the existence of all those improvements which dis¬ 
tinguish the present from the past. The multiplied means 
of enjoyment which surround us on every hand ; the varied 
and incessant efforts of the human mind to develope itself in 
new inventions; the continued search for new gratifications, 
and the adaptation of them to the increase of human happi¬ 
ness, are striking evidences of the influence of social inter¬ 
course in elevating the character, and awakening the ener¬ 
gies of man. To trace the progress of these improvements, 
and to discover the causes which have contributed to their 
increase, is the duty of the philosophical historian. 

It will be impossible for me, in the limit of a single lec¬ 
ture, to give more than a very brief outline of the History of 
Commerce. I shall, therefore, confine my remarks to those 
nations known as commercial nations, and with whose his¬ 
tory it is intimately connected. The commerce of the 
ancients was extremely limited, and was chiefly confined to 
the Mediterranean. In Ptolemy’s description of the globe, 
the 63d degree of latitude was considered as the limit of the 
earth to the north, and the equator to the south ; beyond these 
two points it was unknown. In the twelfth and thirteenth 
centuries the Italians were the only commercial people of 
Europe. The trade of France, Spain, and Germany, was 
very small, being chiefly carried on at stated fairs and mar¬ 
kets, to which traders resorted from all quarters, they paying 
a tax to the sovereign of the territory for the privilege of 
buying and selling. The wealthiest and most enterprising 
of this class purchased, by large tributes, the privilege of 
exemption , as it was termed, and were ever after exempted 

5 


30 


ON THE BENEFITS AND 


from farther taxation in the territories of those sovereigns to 
whom this tribute was paid. They were denominated “ Free 
Traders.” In the middle ages, the Italians, known as the 
Lombards, engrossed a large proportion of the trade of 
Europe, and were considered so important a class, and as 
exercising so powerful an influence upon the industry of the 
world, as to be honoured with invitations, from many of the 
sovereigns of Europe, to settle in their dominions with certain 
specified privileges. These men excited throughout Europe 
a spirit of commerce, and gave an impulse to industry and 
enterprise, which has continued with unimportant interrup¬ 
tions until the present day. They were not only dealers in 
merchandise, but they were also the great bankers and mo¬ 
ney-dealers of Europe. The three gilt balls, which we fre¬ 
quently see suspended over the doors of the pawnbroker 
shops of our city, originated with, and were the arms of, the 
Lombards. Commerce now began to spread towards the 
north of Europe, and most of the northern sea-ports joined 
in a confederacy, under the title of the Hanseatic League. 
This confederacy was formed, by the parties composing it, 
for the purposes of mutual protection; and in a few years 
became so powerful, as to threaten the dominion of Europe. 
The science of navigation, however, was but little known. 
From the earliest dates, the navigation of the Ancients was 
confined to very narrow limits; few daring to encounter the 
perils of the ocean, and only undertaking their maritime 
journeys by keeping within the precincts of a narrow sea, 
or venturing with timid progress from headland to headland, 
until they had accomplished, by patient efforts, the object of 
their wishes. We find them, however, acquiring bolder habits, 
and venturing farther into the ocean with that courage which 
marks the daring hardihood of the sailor. The stars became 
their guides, and, by means of their observations, they were 
enabled to perform longer voyages, and retire farther from 
the land. The polarity of the magnet, although it had been 


INFLUENCES OF COMMERCE. 


31 


known in Europe in the thirteenth century, had been in some 
degree neglected, either on account of the imperfection of 
the knowledge concerning it, or a want of confidence in its 
security, on the part of those engaged in sea-faring life. The 
compass was not used in sailing until the middle of the four¬ 
teenth century, and it was still another century, before the 
European mariner ventured out of sight of land. Then the 
daring of the seaman was exhibited in his journey over the 
trackless waters. There is nothing impresses us with a higher 
idea of human courage, than to see the mariner boldly launch¬ 
ing his bark on the great deep, and going forth to encounter 
the elements, with nought but the sky above him, and the 
fearful waste of waters beneath his feet. From this period 
a new career was opened for commerce. Distance no longer 
imposed a barrier to enterprise. Every clime was penetrat¬ 
ed, every sea traversed, while the various productions of the 
whole earth were rendered subservient to the use of man. 
Portugal exhibited a bold and daring spirit. Stimulated by 
conquest and the hope of gain, she established colonies in 
Madeira, the Cape de Verd, and other islands, and extending 
her commerce to the coast of Guinea, brought home gold dust, 
gums, ivory, and other valuable productions. In the space of 
fifty years, she became mistress of the trade of the Indian 
Ocean, and maintained it in spite of the efforts of her enemies 
to deprive her of its advantages. The Venitians, after many 
efforts to destroy the influence of the Portuguese, lost their 
own, and commerce, in spite of the monopolizing spirit of the 
age, spread in every direction. Antwerp and Amsterdam 
became the great marts of the North. After the destruction 
of Antwerp, the trade of Holland increased; Amsterdam 
rose into splendour and opulence, and became a noble example 
for the imitation of surrounding nations. Great Britain and 
France were stimulated to commercial industry, and the dis¬ 
covery of the New World, which was pictured to the ima¬ 
ginations of that romantic age, as a Paradise teeming with 


32 


ON THE BENEFITS AND 


luxuriant verdure, and abounding with gold, tempted the 
cupidity, and inflamed the desire of man, and awakened a 
spirit of adventure throughout Europe, that disturbed the 
solitude of the ocean, and spread upon its deep waters the 
canvass of a thousand fleets. The power of Britain now 
extended itself throughout the world. She established co¬ 
lonies, and gained dominion ; and, at the present day, holds 
undisputed possession over an extent of territory, superior 
to all that Rome could boast in the brightest days of her im¬ 
perial existence. In the language of our own eloquent 
Webster: “ Her morning drum-beat, following the sun and 
keeping company with the hours, circles the earth daily with 
one continuous and unbroken strain of the martial airs of 
England.” The history of Great Britain presents one of the 
most wonderful examples of the power and influence of 
commerce. From a comparatively insignificant commercial 
nation, she has arisen to an opulence and splendour superior 
to that of any other nation, whose history is on record. The 
face of the whole earth is studded with her possessions—her 
commerce has connected her with every nation in the world. 
Wherever man’s enterprise has carried him, there will be 
perceived the influence of her institutions. In the arts, she 
stands pre-eminent; in industry, enterprise, or sagacity, she 
has met with but a single rival. Her free institutions,—her 
intelligent population,—her men of science and learning,— 
her wealth and her resources, place her at the head of the 
nations of the Old World, and make her the proudest and 
the freest of them all. 

We have thus briefly followed the progress of the com¬ 
merce of Europe, and have seen how one nation after another 
has relinquished its commercial influence, and yielded to its 
rival the power it could no longer hold. As the glory of 
one nation has departed, that of another has arisen ; which 
in its turn has filled the eye of the world, and in its turn has 
fallen into decay. The discovery of America, by Columbus, 


INFLUENCES OF COMMERCE. 


33 


opened a wider channel for commercial enterprise, than had 
ever before presented itself to the world. The vast conti¬ 
nents of the West soon developed their resources, and colo¬ 
nies were established of bold, adventurous, and enterprising 
individuals. The narrow and bigoted policy of the times pro¬ 
moted the interests of these colonial establishments, because 
the political and religious persecutions of many of the govern¬ 
ments of Europe, and particularly of Great Britain, drove 
many of their subjects from their homes, to seek amid the un¬ 
trodden wilderness an asylum, where they could worship their 
God, according to the dictates of their own consciences, and 
exercise their natural rights uncontrolled by the menaces of 
tyranny, or the persecution of an ignorant and superstitious 
priesthood. Thus commenced the career of a proud and a 
free nation—a nation, which in its earliest manhood has ar¬ 
rested the commercial ascendancy of the Old World, and 
acquired an influence and a power which place it first upon 
the catalogue of the nations of the earth. The rise and pro¬ 
gress of the commerce of our country present to us a won¬ 
derful example of the influence of intelligence, enterprise, 
industry, and a free government, upon the happiness of a 
people. A little more than fifty years ago, we were the 
victims of the arbitrary exactions of a tyrannical government. 
Restrained in our industry by unjust laws and unjust taxation, 
we were unable to undertake any enterprise, which could 
call forth the sagacity, or the energy of our people. We 
were prohibited from manufacturing the most ordinary arti¬ 
cles for our own consumption, in order that the British arti¬ 
san might enjoy the benefits of our markets. Our commerce 
was monopolized by British merchants, while a cruel and an 
oppressive system of taxation was adopted towards us, which 
completely destroyed our industry, and discouraged every 
effort we might have been desirous of making to improve 
our condition, or increase our usefulness. That this state of 
things could not continue, must have been supposed from the 


34 


ON THE BENEFITS AND 


character of the inhabitants of the colonies. The institutions 
of Great Britain were professedly free. The subjects of that 
government knew their rights well, and had too much intel¬ 
ligence, and energy of character, to submit long to such ty¬ 
rannical oppressions. The inhabitants of the colonies, whose 
British blood had been tempered and invigourated by the free 
air of an American climate, were the last to bow their heads, 
and bend their necks, to the yoke of British tyranny. We 
all know the course that they pursued, and the success of 
their noble efforts in the cause of freedom. The colonies of 
Great Britain became free and independent states , and the 
people as a nation, took their stand among the nations of the 
earth as “ free, sovereign, and independent.” Now mark the 
contrast in our condition ! Every branch of industry began to 
prosper in our country. Unfettered by arbitrary laws, it as¬ 
sumed a healthy and vigorous tone, and displayed itself in 
the increased comforts and enjoyments of our citizens. Our 
manufactures flourished. Step by step we advanced, until 
Amercan industry and enterprise engrossed a large portion 
of the trade of the world. Our commerce spread in every 
direction, and displayed its white canvass on every ocean 
and on every sea. Our wealth and population increased. 
Cities sprang up around us. The busy hum of industry pene¬ 
trated the gloom of the forest, and the solitary place of the 
wilderness was made glad by the voice of laborious man. 
How mighty a change has been wrought in our condition! 
We, who were once dependent on other nations for even the 
most simple necessaries of life, are now sending to every 
quarter of the globe the fruits of our industry, and the pro¬ 
ducts of our soil. Instead of paying tribute to other nations 
for our supplies, we have become their successful competitors 
in every branch of trade, and are now, in our turn, supply¬ 
ing them with the necessaries and comforts of life. At home 
we are prosperous beyond example ! The conveniences, 
comforts, and elegancies of life are now in the possession of 


INFLUENCES OF COMMERCE. 


35 


every industrious man. On every hand, we behold the pleas¬ 
ing evidences of a free people bounding forward in the career 
of prosperity, and in the full enjoyment of all those means by 
which a nation is rendered contented and happy. The cause 
of the rapid progress of this country in wealth may be found 
in the intelligence and industrious habits of its population, 
and in the freedom of its institutions. Where liberty exists, 
there industry is unrestrained. Security of property, which 
with us is enjoyed in its fullest extent, is one of the great 
stimulants to our industry, while at the same time our gov¬ 
ernment imposes so light a burden of taxation upon us, as to 
be almost unfelt, and indeed encouraging, rather than depress¬ 
ing, (as is the case in other countries,) the industry of our 
people. These are a few among the many causes which 
have contributed to the prosperity of the country, raised it 
from dependence to opulence, and which have dispensed 
to its people the blessings of plenty, with a bounteous and 
impartial hand. 

If we recur to the history of commerce, we will perceive 
how much it has increased the comforts and enjoyments of 
man, and added to the wealth and influence of nations. In 
reference to this subject, the Abbe Mably has made the fol¬ 
lowing remark : “ It is not that we wish to be rich, we wish 
to be great; it is not that we wish to be great, we wish to 
be rich ; it is not that we wish to be rich and great, we wish 
to be richer and greater still.” To enable us to perceive 
how far commerce has changed the condition of man, it will 
be proper to consider the subject, by endeavouring to illus¬ 
trate the influence, that it has exerted upon society, and how 
far the institutions, which have grown out of it, have contri¬ 
buted to its advancement. 

Under the feudal system, the condition of the cultivator 
of the soil was more degraded, than is that of the slave, at 
the present day. The institution of the feudal system intro¬ 
duced a species of servitude which was not known until its 


36 


ON THE BENEFITS AND 


establishment, entitled the servitude of the land. The bond- 
man, or serf, depended entirely on the caprice of his lord 
who frequently sold him, as he did his animals, with the field 
on which he laboured. Such was his degraded condition! 
bound like a slave to the land on which he lived—the fre¬ 
quent victim of the cruel tyranny of his master! What is 
the condition of this class of men in our country? The 
cultivator of the soil occupies an exalted station. The “ inde¬ 
pendence of a farmer ” is proverbial. His occupation, which 
endows him with health and gives vigour to his mind, is the 
envy of all classes in society. Free from the power and 
insolence of a task-master, he tills his ground, and looks up 
to Heaven alone to smile upon him, and crown his labours 
with success. The freedom of cities, originating in the pur¬ 
suits of commerce, shook off the yoke imposed on men by 
the feudal institutions, and introduced a new system, which 
gave to every man a rank in society, proportionate to his 
industry and intelligence. The condition of the labouring 
classes has been equally improved, and, in the language of an 
eminent writer, “ instead of being degraded and subjected to 
those privations to which they have been obliged to submit, 
from the oppressive insolence of an aristocracy, they are 
now regarded as the bone and sinew of every country, and 
in their dwellings, furniture, clothing, and food, are as well 
provided as philanthropy could desire.” The same writer 
continues : “The demand for articles of utility and taste in¬ 
troduced by commerce, has increased the importance of the 
labouring classes. As arts and civilization advance, the ob¬ 
jects of fashion and taste will be multiplied, and a correspond¬ 
ing increase to the comforts and influence of the labouring 
classes will follow. The security and welfare of the whole 
community now depend very much upon the character and 
condition of this part of our population, and the greater the 
distance between them and the other classes, the more unna¬ 
tural and distorted will be the state of society. The improve- 


INFLUENCES OF COMMERCE. 


37 


ments introduced by the intercourse of nations, have affect¬ 
ed their condition, and instead of being any longer regarded 
with contempt, it has become one of the most important 
maxims of policy and economy to sustain them by using all 
possible means, whether by legislation or social influence, to 
give them education, good habits, and good morals, to in¬ 
spire and maintain in them a respect for themselves, and 
secure to them the respect of others.” 

Commerce distributes the gifts of science and art, as 
well as those of nature. It is denominated the great engine 
by which the blessings of civilization are diffused through¬ 
out the world. It establishes a friendly intercourse between 
the inhabitants of every country, and makes them acquaint¬ 
ed with the inventions and improvements made in every 
quarter of the world. Nations are thus connected in a bond 
of association, and the improvements made by one are im¬ 
mediately communicated to all, so that the advantages of 
science are equalized, civilization extended, and individual 
happiness increased. Reflect for a moment on the advan¬ 
tages which Great Britain has received from her commerce, 
and how high it has raised that proud nation in the estima¬ 
tion of the world. But a few years since, and she was re¬ 
proached by the nations on the continent as wanting in 
industry and intelligence. They frequently repeated a pro¬ 
verb, in which they said, “ The stranger buys of the En¬ 
glishman the skin of the fox for a shilling, and sells him the 
tail again for a crown.” Before the invention of the first 
stocking machine, in 1589, none but the wealthy could enjoy 
that luxury. The nobility seldom put on stockings, except 
when they went to court, and a peeress only exhibited her 
lace when she displayed her diamonds. The fact of Queen 
Elizabeth having worn a pair of silk stockings was consi¬ 
dered worthy of historical notice. How limited at that time 
were the enjoyments of the great! England, now the great¬ 
est manufacturing country in the world, was formerly 


38 


ON THE BENEFITS AND 


indebted to India for her muslins and calicoes. Her industry 
has at last overcome her dependence, and she now distri¬ 
butes her manufactured products over the whole world. 
Without industry she would have been a comparatively 
insignificant nation, for although the products of her soil are 
numerous and varied, she never could have maintained so 
vast a population as she now possesses. It is industry alone 
that has increased the wealth and power of that mighty 
empire. Without industry the poet has beautifully said 
there would be 

“ No kind of traffic, 

No name of magistrate. 

Letters should not be known—no use of service,. 

Of riches, or of poverty. No contracts, 

Successions, bound of land with vineyards none; 

No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil,— 

No occupation, all men idle, all— 

And women too.” 

In the thirteeenth century, glass windows were extremely 
rare, and the houses in large cities were roofed with thatch, 
and had no chimneys. Wine was sold only by the apothecaries. 
Under the reign of Edward III., the progress of luxury ex¬ 
cited considerable alarm, and parliament found it necessary 
to prohibit the use of gold and silver to all those whose 
incomes did not exceed 100 pounds per annum. Charles VI., 
of France, ordained that “ none should presume to enter¬ 
tain company with more than two dishes and a mess of 
soup.” These are amusing illustrations of the character of 
the times, and convey to us an idea of the limited enjoy¬ 
ments of the people of England and France a few centu¬ 
ries ago. The progress of luxury introduced by commerce 
excited not only the alarm of governments, but also that of in¬ 
dividuals whose sober, simple lives were frequently intruded 
upon by their introduction. An individual who seemed un¬ 
able to keep pace with the improvement of the times once 
reproached a Dutchman with luxury: “ What has become,” 
said he, “ of those happy times when a merchant, going from 
Amsterdam to the Indies, left a quarter of dried beef in his 


INFLUENCES OF COMMERCE. 


39 


kitchen, and found it at his return ? Where are your 
wooden spoons and iron forks ? Is it not a shame for a sober 
Dutchman to be in a damask bed (” “Go to Batavia,” an¬ 
swered the man of Amsterdam, “ get a ton of gold, as I have 
done, and see whether you will not want to be a little better 
fed, clothed and lodged V The simple-hearted man was unable 
to realize , much less to enjoy those improvements which a 
commercial intercourse with other nations had introduced 
into his country, and he entertained those prejudices against 
any change in the condition of his fellow men, which are too 
frequently found to exist among narrow minds even at the 
present day. The improvements introduced by machinery 
are of the most wonderful description, and have done more 
to distribute the enjoyments of life throughout the world 
than any thing else. The cotton and woollen fabrics of En¬ 
gland and America are now enjoyed by the inhabitants of 
the islands of the South Sea, and at a cheaper rate, too, than 
they could have been produced in the countries where they 
were manufactured before the invention of machinery. 
These improvements have therefore been productive of 
direct benefit, not only to the inhabitants of the country in 
which they were produced, but to those of the remotest 
regions. The division of labor introduced by commerce 
has had the effect of confining every nation to that branch 
of industry for which it has advantages from nature or cir¬ 
cumstances, so that one country is enabled to obtain at the 
cheapest rate those articles which it cannot produce for 
itself. This division of labor has greatly advanced the 
interests of commerce. It is, however, not confined to 
countries in reference to each other, but is practised in 
every district of a single country. One manufacturing dis¬ 
trict in England is confined to woollens, another to cottons* 
another to iron, &c. &c. Dr. Smith has shown that, by a 
proper distribution of labor among ten workmen in a pin 
manufactory, 48,000 pins may be produced in a single day. 


40 


ON THE BENEFITS AND 


Since his time the system has been more refined, and the 
number has been nearly doubled. By these means the price 
of every article is diminished, while the facility for its pro¬ 
duction is increased. We are therefore enabled to obtain, 
not only the comforts and conveniences, but the luxuries of 
life, at a comparatively small expense. It has been stated 
by those who advocate simplicity , that the introduction of 
luxury has been productive of greater evil than good. The 
remarks of Dr. Paley, in answer, may be considered as con¬ 
clusive. “ It signifies nothing,” he says, “ as to the main 
purposes of trade, how superfluous the articles which it fur¬ 
nishes are. Whether the want of them be real or imaginary, 
whether it be founded in nature or opinion, in fashion, habit, 
or emulation; it is enough that they be actually desired or 
sought after. Flourishing cities are raised and supported by 
trading in tobacco; populous towns subsist by the manufac¬ 
ture of ribbons. A watch may be an unnecessary append¬ 
age to the dress of a peasant, yet if the peasant will till the 
ground, in order to obtain a watch, the true design of trade 
is answered; and the watchmaker, while he polishes the case, 
or files the wheel of his machine, is contributing to the pro¬ 
duction of corn as effectually, though not so directly, as if 
he handled the spade or held the plough. Tobacco is an 
acknowledged superfluity, and affords a remarkable instance 
of the caprice of the human appetite; yet if the fisherman 
will ply his net, or the mariner fetch rice from foreign coun¬ 
tries, to procure himself this indulgence, the market is sup¬ 
plied with two important articles of provision by the instru¬ 
mentality of a merchandise which has no other apparent 
use than the gratification of a vitiated appetite.” The bene¬ 
ficial effects of luxuries cannot therefore be doubted, when 
their use or consumption gives encouragement to labor and 
skill. The introduction of tobacco, which, as the writer 
above quoted says, “ affords a remarkable instance of the 
caprice of the human appetite,” gave considerable alarm to 


INFLUENCES OF COMMERCE. 


41 


those sovereigns in whose territories it was introduced, and 
many of them attempted to prohibit its use by severe laws 
and enactments. In 1689 an ordinance was published in 
England, threatening confiscation to the property of those 
who should plant it on their estates. Elizabeth published an 
edict against its use, and assigned, as a reason, that her sub¬ 
jects, “ by indulging in the same luxuries as barbarians, were 
likely to degenerate into barbarismand James not only 
employed his royal influence against it, but exercised his 
pen in his celebrated “ Counterblaste to Tobacco,” in which 
he endeavors to prove its destructive influence upon the 
morals and habits of his subjects. The king of Persia was 
still more severe, and enacted that any person “ detected in 
using it should lose his nose or suffer death,” as it should best 
please his royal humanity. An amusing fact is related of 
an orator in the reign of Louis XIV. In the midst of an 
oration “on the pernicious effects of tobacco,” the orator 
made a pause, and taking his snuff* box from his pocket, re¬ 
freshed himself with a pinch to enable him to resume his 
argument. In spite, however, of the enactments and edicts 
of kings, or the eloquence of orators, its use has gradually 
been extended over the civilized world, and it has become 
an immense article of trade to every commercial nation. 
The useful arts, which have been termed the handmaids of 
commerce, have progressed with a rapidity in proportion to 
jts advancement. The steam engine, and the inventions of 
Arkwright in machinery, have been followed by the most 
stupendous results, while the accommodations of life have 
multiplied to such an extent as to place within the power of 
every man all that can make existence comfortable or desi¬ 
rable. It appears incredible that so great a change has been 
produced in the accommodations of life by these things, and 
within such a short period of time, and yet we have abun. 
dant evidence to prove the fact. In a work entitled “ Hol- 
lingshed’s Chronicles of his own Times,” we find the following 


42 


ON THE BENEFITS AND 


remarks :—“ There are,” he says, “ old men yet dwelling in 
the village where I remain, who have noted three things to 
be marvellously altered in England within their sound re‘ 
membrance—one is the multitude of chimneys lately erected, 
whereas in their young days there were but two or three, if 
so many, in most uplandish towns of the realm—the reli¬ 
gious houses and manor houses of their lords always ex¬ 
cepted—and peradventure some great personage. But each 
made his fire against the wall in the hall where he dined and 
dressed his meat. The second is the great amendment in 
lodging: for, said they, our fathers and ourselves have lain 
full oft on straw pallets, covered only with a sheet, under 
coverlets of dog’s waine, and a good round log under their 
head as a bolster. If it were so that the father, or good man 
of the house, had a mattress or flock bed, and thereon a sack 
of chaff to rest his head upon, he thought himself as well 
lodged as the lord of the town. Pillows, said they, are 
thought fit only for sick women ; as for servants, if they had 
any sheet above them it was well, for seldom had they any 
under their bodies to keep them from the pricking straws. 
The third thing they tell of is the exchange of trene plat¬ 
ters (so called from tree wood) into pewter, and wooden 
spoons into silver or tin; for so common were all sorts of 
trene vessels in those times, that a man could hardly find 
four pieces of pewter in a good farm house.” Houses 
without chimneys, and beds with wooden pillows, are now 
extremely rare, and yet the time has not long passed when 
they were considered as extravagant appendages to a man’s 
comfort. The cheapness of all articles of wearing apparel 
at the present day is one of the most remarkable proofs of 
the change which machinery has produced in our favor. 
Silk, which formerly was worth its weight in gold, is now a 
very common article of dress, and it has been said that if 
a Grecian lady could wake from her sleep of 2,000 years, 
her astonishment would be unbounded at seeing a simple 


INFLUENCES OF COMMERCE, 


43 


country girl enjoying the luxury of a silk gown. It is need¬ 
less to multiply illustrations to prove the extent of the bene¬ 
fits that commerce and the arts have conferred on society. 
They surround us wherever we go—in the furniture of our 
houses, the apparel we wear, and the food we eat—in all 
the comforts, accommodations, and elegancies of life—in the 
activity, intelligence, and industry of our population, and in 
all the improvements of their social and physical condition. 
The intercourse of nations has subdued local prejudices and 
animosities, and enfolded the whole society of man in an em¬ 
brace of good fellowship and brotherly kindness. It has 
extended the benefits of peace, and carried to the remotest 
regions of the earth the power and influence of that religion 
whose motto is, “ Peace on earth, and good will to man.” So 
great and so universal have been the benefits of commerce, 
that it is impossible to trace the limits of their beginning or 
ending ; they are the inheritance of all, and, like the dew of 
heaven, fall equally upon the rich and poor, the humble and 
the great, the peasant and the prince. 

The progress of the United States in commerce, and in 
all the arts of civilized life, has been more rapid and suc¬ 
cessful than that of any other nation. While other countries 
have been laboring under the burden of antiquated laws and 
institutions, ours has been buoyed up and urged forward 
under institutions and laws adapted to the character and 
genius of our people. Along the whole line of an extensive 
sea-board we have nourished a race of hardy and intrepid 
mariners, who, while they have proved themselves valuable 
auxiliaries to the enterprise of our merchants, have become 
the bulwarks of the country, and have sustained, amid every 
peril, the honor and reputation of our nation. Our great 
interior, enjoying the advantages of every variety of climate, 
soil, and resources—fertilized by a thousand streams, and 
inhabited by an industrious and intelligent population, has 
constantly stimulated our commercial industry, and supported 


44 


ON THE BENEFITS AND 


and encouraged the enterprise of our merchants and sea¬ 
men. With means like these, the United States have 
advanced in wealth and population with an unparalleled 
rapidity, and at this present day enjoy a prosperity which is 
the envy of every nation of the world. Previous to the 
year 1790, North America did not supply England with a 
single pound of cotton. Its exports in that article exceed 
three hundred millions of pounds, from which an annual 
income is obtained of about forty millions of dollars. The 
whole value of the imports and exports of the United States 
is estimated at about two hundred and seventy millions of 
dollars! New-York, of all the cities of the Union, enjoys 
the greatest commercial advantages, and has arisen to a 
splendor and opulence superior to that of any other city. 
In 1660 its population was only 6,000, its houses were prin¬ 
cipally of wood, and its streets narrow and irregular. At 
present its population is nearly 300,000. On every hand we 
behold its beautiful edifices, the abodes of its wealthy and 
prosperous merchants—its busy streets crowded with indus¬ 
trious passengers—its wharves filled with the ships of all 
nations—its rivers burdened with freight from every quarter 
of the globe—its craft, that move by wind or steam, enliven¬ 
ing its waters—the whole presenting to the eye a picture 
filled with animation, the cheering result of the intelligence, 
activity, and enterprise of its inhabitants. The progress of 
New-York is onwards. Its career of prosperity cannot be 
checked. And when it shall have accomplished its destiny, 
it will have reached a point of greatness unsurpassed by any 
previous example. Do we seek for nobler evidences of the 
beneficial influence of commerce than are to be found in this 
proud city, whose fame has extended to every portion of the 
globe—the theatre of every generous enterprise—the 
abode of opulent industry—the mart of the world ? Her 
institutions of benevolence, of science, and of learning; her 
great names and proud deeds: these are the enduring mo- 


INFLUENCES OF COMMERCE. 


45 


numents of her greatness that time cannot destroy. Nor 
need we look abroad for any prouder evidence of the en¬ 
lightening influence of commerce than can be found here . 
This noble institution, within whose walls my voice is now 
heard, dedicated by patriotism to science and learning, has 
already awakened among those who are to become the fu¬ 
ture merchants of this great metropolis a spirit of emula¬ 
tion, that shall give a new character to all its enterprises, 
and add to its wealth, its influence, and its fame. These are 
the rich rewards of commerce, the proud results of industry, 
enterprise, and social unity. How wide a field for contem¬ 
plation is presented to the mind in view of a great city ! and 
how beautifully hath the poet Wordsworth embodied the 
reflections that burst upon his mind while seated upon 
Westminster bridge, with London—that mighty city—before 
him. Its towers and domes lay glittering in the early sun. 
“ Its mighty heart was lying still,” and its quiet yet undis¬ 
turbed by the bustle and activity of the day:— 

“ Earth has not any thing to show more fair! 

Dull would he be of soul who could pass by 
A sight so touching in its majesty. 

This city now doth like a garment wear 
The beauty of the morning, silent, bare. 

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie 
Open unto the fields and to the sky, 

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air: 

Never did sun more beautifully steep 
In his first splendor valley, rock, or hill: 

Ne’er saw I, never felt a calm so deep; 

The river glideth at his own sweet will. 

Dear God ! The very houses seem asleep, 

And all that mighty heart is lying still.” 

To enumerate the various means by which commercial 
operations may be facilitated, would require more patience 
than you could give me. It would embrace an examination 
of every thing that has contributed to their success, and 
facilitated the intercourse of nations. There are, however, 
certain institutions which have arisen out of commerce, and 
without which its operations must have been greatly embar¬ 
rassed. Money and banks, weights and measures, roads 


46 


ON THE BENEFITS AND 


and canals, &c. &c. The influence of good roads and 
canals in facilitating commercial intercourse between differ¬ 
ent parts of the same country, is very great. They have 
been denominated national veins and arteries, and, as has 
been truly said, “ the latter are not more indispensable to 
the existence of individuals than improved communications 
are to a healthy state of public economy.” The improve¬ 
ment of the means of communication has always been a 
subject of solicitude to every government that has been 
anxious to promote the interests or multiply the convenien¬ 
ces of its inhabitants. The effect of good roads and canals 
in cheapening the productions of a country must be acknow¬ 
ledged, when we reflect that the cost of many articles con¬ 
sists almost entirely in their cost of transportation. If, 
therefore, the expense of obtaining any desirable articles is 
diminished by the facility of transporting them from one 
district of a country to another, by the aid of good roads and 
canals, it follows, that any improvement made upon them is 
a direct benefit to the people. In England, at the present 
day, there is no part of the country without good roads, and 
it would be impossible for a traveller to set himself down in 
any situation where the post would not reach him in three 
days. Our own country has derived innumerable benefits 
from its improved facilities of communication, so that the 
advantages enjoyed by the people fifty years ago in their 
intercourse with each other, are not to be compared with 
those now enjoyed by ourselves. A journey from New- 
York to Boston at that time was the occupation of a fort¬ 
night, and from the same place to Philadelphia, a week, or 
perhaps longer. Now, the journey is performed in less than 
a day to the one place, and in a few hours to the other. The 
saving of time—caused by the application of steam to ma¬ 
chinery—is indeed remarkable ! 

The state of New-York stands pre-eminent for her 
wealth and enterprise, but in nothing is she more distinguish- 


INFLUENCES OF COMMERCE. 


47 


ed than in her grand system of internal improvements by 
which she has united the waters of her lakes with those of 
the ocean. These are her proudest monuments, and upon 
them is she willing to rest her fame for ever. It would be 
impossible to enumerate all the benefits which she has de¬ 
rived from these great sources. The evidences of them 
may be seen in the prosperity of her people, in her nu¬ 
merous thriving villages and cities, and in all the increased 
means of enjoyment by which she is surrounded. Nor can 
we forget the gratitude we owe to that master spirit by 
whose great efforts this stupendous system was effected. To 
Clinton are we indebted for the accomplishment of that 
noble work; and when New-York shall have reached the 
summit of her glory, and realized the brightest hopes of her 
aspiring ambition, may her citizens not forget the name and 
services of that man, whose mighty genius raised her star in 
the ascendant, and gave it a lustre as imperishable as his 
own greatness. 

The growth of this city has been greatly accelerated by 
these improvements in our inland communications. They 
have rendered the great west tributary to our wealth and 
prosperity, by increasing the demand for those productions 
which find their way from every portion of the world into 
our port—thus making our market the resort of the mer¬ 
chants of every part of the Union. The admirable advan¬ 
tages of this city—being so near the sea, and connected 
with the interior by the finest rivers, canals, and roads in the 
world—are greatly superior to those of any other city in the 
Union. Our port is the first the European trader lands at 
on his arrival in the country, and the last he visits when he 
departs. With such means as it possesses, our state has 
become the “Empire state,” and from its great importance 
must always exercise a powerful, if not a controlling influ¬ 
ence in the country. The advantages which this city enjoys 
in a commercial point of view have not been neglected. 


48 


ON THE BENEFITS, ETC. 


The New-York merchant is a most active, enterprising, and 
persevering man of business. He is industrious and intelli¬ 
gent, and is well acquainted with the various wants and 
resources of every country in the world. To such descrip¬ 
tion of men are the destinies of this city entrusted, and it 
requires no prophetic spirit to declare, that with such ele¬ 
ments New-York is to become the greatest commercial 
mart of the world. 

The comparative increase of American tonnage em¬ 
ployed in foreign trade since the establishment of our 
government, is one of the most cheering evidences of the 
rapid growth of the commercial prosperity of our country. 
In 1789 there were employed in our foreign commerce 
127,329 tons; since that period the amount has been con¬ 
stantly enlarging, until it has reached one million of tons per 
annum ! New-York city enjoys an abundant share of this 
great foreign trade—employing, as it does, nearly one-half 
of the whole tonnage of the United States. It has been 
estimated that the value of merchandise loaded and unload¬ 
ed at its wharves, exceeds the enormous amount of one hun¬ 
dred and fifty millions of dollars per annum ! To every 
port of the globe do her ships depart. Her bold and adven¬ 
turous seamen, invited by enterprise, may be met at all 
times exploring the Atlantic, the Baltic, the Mediterranean, 
the Pacific, the China, and India seas. With every com¬ 
mercial nation of the world is our city connected in bonds of 
friendly intercourse, promoting mutual interests, establishing 
peace and harmony, and dispensing the various resources of 
this vast country to the inhabitants of the remotest regions. 
How great are the responsibilities which rest upon us, and 
how strong the motive to the young merchant to possess 
himself of every means of intelligence which will enable 
him to sustain the exalted character of his country, and 
secure to it the respect and honor of the world. 



The Mercantile Library Association was 
formed November 27, 1820, and obtained a Char¬ 
ter of Incorporation March 11, 1823. In 1828 the 
Association solicited the merchants to aid in pro¬ 
curing a permanent location for its Library; which 
resulted in the incorporation of the Clinton Hall 
Association, and the erection, early in 1830, of a 
large and costly edifice. 

The privileges granted by them to the Mercan¬ 
tile Library Association, are calculated to esta¬ 
blish it on a sure basis, and to promote its advance¬ 
ment in future, equal, if not superior to any similar 
institution in the country. 


Number of Members ...... 2,500 

“ Volumes.13,000 

Foreign and Domestic Periodicals. 


Merchants, per annum.$5 

Clerks—Annual Dues (payable quarterly in advance) 2 
Initiation Fee.1 

ITT* DONATIONS IN BOOKS RESPECTFULLY SOLICITED, 


New- York, May, 1836. 





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111 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724) 779-2111 


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